Quakeland [Hardcover]

Francesca Lia Block (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2008

“[Francesca Lia] Block writes about the real Los Angeles better than anyone since Raymond Chandler.”—The New York Times Book Review

“[Block] uses language like a jeweled sword glittering as it cuts to the heart.”—Kirkus Reviews

After enduring from afar a seemingly endless series of outside worldwide disasters—including 9/11 and the Asian tsunami—while living in earthquake-prone Los Angeles, a bereft Katrina experiences deep inner longings for some sense of permanence, meaning, and intimacy. A preschool teacher contemplating the unsettling challenges of her mid-life, she finds solace in the company of her dear friend Grace, and conflict in the arms of a narcissistic yoga instructor, Jasper.

In this intertwining series of emotionally charged stories, wistful characters weave together a dance of joy and sorrow, gain and loss, harmony and dissonance. Beautifully written, Quakeland speaks in a deeply stirring female voice to an unspoken sense of universal longing that seems quietly prevalent in these times. It is a brave, poetic work that acknowledges the pain and loss we live with every day, and offers hope—through art and through connection—of something more.

Francesca Lia Block is renowned for her groundbreaking novels and stories, including the best-selling Weetzie Bat—postmodern, magic-realist tales for all ages. Her work transports readers through the harsh landscapes of contemporary life to magic realms of the senses where love is always a saving grace. She lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Manic D Press, Inc. (April 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193314923X
• ISBN-13: 978-1933149233
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Francesca Lia Block, recipient of the prestigious Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award. has been publishing novels, short stories, essays, memoirs and poetry since 1989. Her work has been translated into many languages. Ms. Block lives in Los Angeles where she teaches writing workshops that are also available online.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a lovely lyrical wander, May 5, 2008

By 

Kris Millering (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quakeland (Hardcover)

Lyrical and dreamlike, Quakeland follows the intertwined stories of a group of women, telling the story of another woman who was somehow central to all of their lives--Grace. This is Grace's story, though the events of the book more revolve around her than are about her. She is the missing piece at the story's heart, the personal tsunami that echoes the real tsunami that provides the starting point for the book.

I love Block's dream-naif prose, though I did have trouble connecting with Katrina and understanding why she was doing the things she was. I found the later narrators--the unnamed woman and Angeli--to be much more comprehensible, if only because they were watching the drama from the outside instead of directly living the story.

Overall, well worth picking up!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FLB is growing up in her themes and into her style, October 30, 2008

By 

Satia Renee "Satia Renee" (Altanta GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Quakeland (Hardcover)

Quakeland by Francesca Lia Block is another example of how Block has grown creatively and how her characters have matured along with her story's themes. Here she returns to the interwoven stories that she did so beautifully in Echo. But this is not a young adult novel and this is as close as it gets to being a disappointment.

Block's young adult novels, with their beautiful imagery, lyrical language, and above all how she touches on the most painful experiences with a delicacy that makes even the most nightmarish realities something that can not only be survived but can be survived with grace. There is a promise at the end of her young adult novels that is not present in Quakeland. Perhaps this is more honest. Perhaps with maturity comes the need to just accept that pain is inevitable.

And yet, there is a sense of the human potential to evolve beyond the present reality (a promise hinted at by the perfect and marvelous illustration on the cover). This book is infused with the horrors of terrorist attacks, floods, tsunamis, and the threat of earthquakes. In the pages there is healing, a sort of homeopathic catharsis of words. I wanted to cry most of the time as I was reading. The pain was too familiar.

Needless to say, I will return to this book and reread it. I will hold it close as I read the words and sigh. Maybe I will not want to cry. Maybe I will want to cry so much more that I will not be able to stop myself. And no maybe about it, I look forward to Block's next book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of her most personal works, June 13, 2008

By 

Abby Denson "Abbycomix" (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quakeland (Hardcover)

As a long-time Francesca Lia Block fan I'm pleased by how Quakeland contains the themes I've come to love so well, but is also a bit darker and has more realistic tones than her other works. Parts of it seem almost autobiographical (though I have no idea if any of it is based in reality) and that made it even more fascinating. I couldn't put it down!